CRITTENDEN, Ky — Did you know there's a lavender farm just outside Verona? It was one of those items that popped up in my Facebook feed recently and I had to check it out!
Melissa Bayer is the owner, operator and creative mind behind Bayer Farms Lavender, located at 875 Eads Road in Crittenden, Kentucky. For Bayer, it started as a plan for her post-retirement days. But it has turned into something truly unique, dare I call it whimsical!
June is peak season for lavender so when you pull into her family farm, you see the beautiful rows of purple and even white. She has decorative and culinary varieties.
For $12, you get a basket, a pair of scissors and a knee pad. Then you head into the rows to clip what you'd like to take home. There's no rush! You can also bring along food to enjoy at one of the picnic tables and make an evening of it.
"I always tell people the best way to find the best blooms is to follow the bees. The bees are there and having a wonderful time. They are so happy that they won't bother you at all," Bayer said.
And she wasn't lying. The bees were everywhere. The buzz surrounds you. But the bees didn't care about our presence or bother us.
"I call it the song of the bees," Bayer said. "It's just amazing sitting in these chairs, in the quiet, it's the most amazing humming sound and you can almost feel it in your heart."
Melissa taught me a lot when I was there. She showed me that the best fragrance on the plant isn't on the flower but instead is deeper in the bush on the inner leaves. That's where they extract the oils to make different products.
The season for "U Pick" doesn't last long. The farm is open to visitors Thursdays and Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. That will be available this week and next week. Then she and her husband will harvest the rest of the crop in early July.
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